IKEA MOPPE Hack
Welcome!
We are in organization mode over here. I know, I know; the new year has that effect on people. So maybe you’re in the same boat that I am. The Christmas decorations are all put away, but with all of the extra stuff we got over the holidays, our house feels stuffed full and things are just everywhere. I don’t know where to put everything.
So it’s time to tackle a bit of organization. “A place for everything and everything in its place” and all that.
One of my favorite sources for economical organization supplies is IKEA. In our old home, we lived a few hours away from the nearest IKEA, so wouldn’t go unless we had several large purchases we needed to make. Our new home, on the other hand, is just 30 minutes away from an IKEA. Woohoo! So heading in and grabbing just a few things is quick and easy and much more doable.
One of the things I love most about IKEA is that their products are simple and plain, so they can easily fit in with most décor styles. This also means they are easy to customize to match your personal style. Which leads me to today’s DIY: IKEA MOPPE hack.
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Supplies you’ll need:
IKEA MOPPE
Chalk paint
Foam roller
Scrapbook paper
Scissors
Mod Podge
Paint brush
Ruler
Drawer pulls
IKEA MOPPE Before
This is what the IKEA MOPPE looks like when you purchase it from the store.
It’s a cute storage box with six separate compartments in various sizes. The storage cubbies utilize cutouts instead of attached pulls, so you open the drawers by pulling them out from the top.
When you customize the IKEA MOPPE, you can decorate that side of the drawer fronts to keep the opening the same, or you can do what I did.
The back side of the drawers is flat, so I turned the drawers around backwards and attached pulls to that side. I’ve seen people customize them both ways, so either option works.
The MOPPE is made of unfinished birch plywood, so it’s ready to be stained, painted, or finished to your own personal preference.
The storage unit is on the smaller side, measuring 16” W x 7” D x 12-1/2” H, so it’s perfect for setting on a desk, bookcase, or shelf.
Personally, I’ll be using it to store craft supplies, so I have it in my craft area next to my Cricut.
I actually like the unfinished look, but I wanted to flex my creative side, so I chose to customize the unit to my liking.
Step 1: Paint
I chose to paint my box and drawers rather than staining them, but either method will work.
I used Waverly chalk paint in Ink black (from Walmart), which easily covered the box and drawers with only one coat. I purchased an 8 fl. oz. bottle and used about half of it in total.
To apply the paint, I used a foam roller to avoid any brush strokes. My finish turned out flawlessly.
As I mentioned before, I turned the drawers around and used the back side as the front of my drawers. When painting though, I chose to paint the entire outside of the drawer, even though I would be covering the fronts with scrapbook paper. I did this in case I missed any areas with the paper - I wanted the background to be black without any natural wood peaking through.
I did, however, choose not to paint the inside of the storage box. This proved to be a bit of a problem when I put the drawers back in because you could see a ring of natural wood around all of the drawers.
To rectify this, I went back in and used a small paintbrush to just paint the areas inside that could be seen around the drawers. This method worked fine, and you can’t see any natural wood when my drawers are in.
Step 2: Apply Paper to Drawer Fronts
For my drawer fronts, I wanted it to look like it was covered in handwritten notes. I found this really cute scrapbook paper that included several different styles of “handwritten” notes, and the size was perfect for my needs, measuring 3.14” x 3.14”.
With the drawer front dry, I placed different papers on the top until I found a design I liked. For pieces of paper that were too large, I folded them around the sides and used scissors to cut off the areas at the crease.
After I found a design I liked, I took the papers off of the front and used a paint brush to apply a layer of Mod Podge over the whole front. I then placed the paper back on and sealed the top with another layer of Mod Podge.
Step 3: Attach the Drawer Pulls
After allowing the drawer fronts to dry completely, I attached the drawer pulls.
I’m going to be real honest with you guys - I suck at measuring things. So if you look at my pictures and see that the pulls aren’t exactly center, please don’t tell me, because then I’ll notice and obsess over it, haha!
Anyway, so my trick for not really measuring is to use my ruler as a guide on where to place the pull.
I placed the ruler along the bottom of the drawer and made sure it was flush with the bottom of the drawer. Then I put the pull in place where I thought the middle of the drawer might be. I tried my best to make sure it measured the same on both sides, but if it’s not, again, please keep it to yourself.
I then used a pencil to mark the center of the screw holes and removed the ruler. Next, I used a drill to attach the screws to the drawer front. Start on one side, but don’t drill it all the way down, and then start on the other side. That way, you can adjust the pull as you go to ensure it stays level. Go back and forth screwing down each side until the pull is fully attached.
I repeated this process for all of the drawers until all of the pulls were attached. When all done, the pulls look beautiful and are the perfect size for the IKEA MOPPE, but they are a little difficult to pull open. If I were to do it again, I would choose a pull that has a bit of a lip, similar to this type.
There, you have it, my version of an IKEA MOPPE hack! I think it turned out so well, and I love the personality it adds to my craft space. I kind of want to buy these for all over my house because I had so much fun making it, and I have so many ideas for customizing this storage box!
If you customize your own, be sure to share your designs in the comments. I’d love to see what you come up with!
Happy crafting!
